Message Received
by Cobrilee
Summary: Four years past an alternate ending of season two, Derek and Stiles are still... Well, Derek and Stiles. Only now they flirt. Okay, Stiles flirts. And Derek is completely okay with that. Part 5 of A Story In Texts.


**A/N: This is just a fun little fluff piece to counteract all the heavy angst I've been writing lately. Enjoy!**

 **Stiles: I**

 **Stiles: Shit, sorry. Hit send too soon.**

 **Stiles: I found something in the Bestiary on our Pooka problem. You up?  
Derek: Yes.**

 **Stiles: Come over.**

 **Derek: What? No. It's one in the morning.**

 **Stiles: But you're up.**

 **Derek: And not leaving the loft.**

 **Stiles: You're a pain in my ass.**

 **Derek: Not going there.**

 **Stiles: You totally want to, though.**

 **Derek: I'm going to kill you.**

 **Stiles: Nah. You love me too much.  
Derek: Good night, Stiles.**

 **Stiles: LOL**

 **Stiles: Wait.**

 **Stiles: I really did find something.**

 **Derek: I'm sure you did. It can wait. They're not maiming anyone, just being pains in our asses.**

 **Derek: Reminds me of someone.**

 **Stiles: Funny, asshole.**

 **Derek: I thought so.**

 **Derek: Go to bed.**

 **Stiles: Fine. Night, Sourwolf.**

 **Derek: Ugh. Enough already.**

 **Stiles: :D**

 **lllll**

 **Stiles: L**

 **Stiles: Goddamn send button. It's too close to the rest of them.  
Stiles: Look, Derek, I know you don't like it when we act like we actually know WTF we're doing, but, newsflash, been doing this for a few years now. **

**Derek: I don't like it when you go in guns blazing without waiting for backup. You could get yourself killed.**

 **Stiles: Jesus fuck, Der! You act like I'm still some dumb 16yo.**

 **Derek: No, now you're some dumb twenty-year old.**

 **Stiles: Fuck you.**

 **Derek: No thanks.**

 **Stiles: Give it time, you'll admit it one day.**

 **Derek: Nice try. I'm still mad. If you don't give a rat's ass about yourself, think about the people who would miss you if you died.**

 **Stiles: Like you?  
Derek: You'd like to think so, but no.**

 **Stiles: Mm-hmm.**

 **Stiles: *sigh***

 **Stiles: I'm sorry.**

 **Stiles: Next time I'll wait.**

 **Derek: I'll believe that when I see it.**

 **Stiles: Know what else you could see, right now?  
Derek: I'm turning my phone off.**

 **lllll**

 **Stiles: O**

 **Stiles: One of these days you're going to realize you're not alone anymore, Derek. You're not the poor orphan boy whose family all died.**

 **Derek: Are you fucking kidding me right now?  
Stiles: I didn't mean it that way, dumbass. I mean you have a family now. A new one.**

 **Derek: You realize you're an insensitive dick, don't you?**

 **Stiles: Speaking of which… You know what** ** _is_** **sensitive? ;)  
Derek: *groan***

 **Stiles: You're smiling, don't lie.**

 **Derek: Am not.**

 **Stiles: You're thinking about it, I can tell.**

 **Derek: I'm thinking about ripping your throat out with my teeth.**

 **Stiles: Oh my** ** _God_** **, Derek, how** ** _old_** **is that threat? Find some new material.  
Derek: It's our thing.**

 **Stiles: If you want a** ** _thing_** **…**

 **Derek: Bleaching my brain now.**

 **Stiles: You'll dream about it later.**

 **Derek: You're impossible.**

 **Stiles: I know. ;)**

 **Stiles: Doesn't mean I'm not right.**

 **Derek: You're not right.**

 **Stiles: Mm-hmm. You keep telling yourself that, Der.**

 **lllll**

 **Stiles: V**

 **Stiles: Vernon is going to kill me.**

 **Stiles: Control your beta, Alpha Hale.**

 **Derek: Maybe. Maybe not. What happened?**

 **Derek: Life has been dull lately. I could use some entertainment.**

 **Stiles: First off, do not joke about life being dull. The Nemeton will hear you and I will hate you forever if you fuck up this peace and quiet.**

 **Derek: You could never hate me. You love me.**

 **Stiles: I'm ignoring that.**

 **Stiles: Second, I may or may not have thrown a stick and told him to go fetch.**

 **Derek: Stiles.**

 **Derek: Do you even realize how much of an idiot you are?**

 **Stiles: That hurts, Der. It really hurts.**

 **Derek: If there's one person you don't antagonize, it's Boyd.**

 **Derek: Or me.**

 **Stiles: Please. You're a marshmallow.**

 **Derek: You wanna try me?  
Stiles: Yes, please.**

 **Derek: Oh my God, Stiles.**

 **Stiles: Practicing what you're going to say later?  
Derek: I'm telling Boyd he has my permission to kill you.**

 **Stiles: Yeah, right.**

 **Stiles: You're bluffing.**

 **Stiles: Right?**

 **Stiles: Derek?**

 **Stiles: … Derek?**

 **lllll**

 **Stiles: E**

 **Stiles: Everyone is at the loft. Where are you?  
Derek: Not at the loft.**

 **Stiles: Um, duh?**

 **Stiles: That's kind of the point.**

 **Derek: You know I don't like parties, especially with people I don't know there.**

 **Stiles: But I'm here.**

 **Derek: Even more incentive to stay away.**

 **Stiles: You like watching me bleed emotionally, don't you?**

 **Derek: I plead the fifth.**

 **Stiles: I hate you.**

 **Stiles: Besides, the pack is here, too.**

 **Stiles: You know,** ** _your_** **pack?**

 **Derek: I'll be there eventually.**

 **Stiles: Lurking outside the loft until everyone starts to finally disperse?**

 **Derek: You know me so well.**

 **Stiles: I do, you know.**

 **Derek: Don't remind me.**

 **Stiles: Aww, Buttercup. Don't be that way.**

 **Stiles: But as long as you're out, can you grab some ice?**

 **lllll**

 **Stiles: Y**

 **Stiles: You realize it's been four years since we met?**

 **Derek: Is that all? Feels like four hundred.**

 **Stiles: Why do you do this to me, boo?**

 **Derek: Never call me that again.**

 **Derek: Ever.**

 **Derek: Or I will rip your throat out.**

 **Stiles: With your teeth. Yeah, yeah. Got it.**

 **Derek: Why the reminiscing?**

 **Stiles: I guess I've just been thinking about how different things are now.**

 **Stiles: How different** ** _we_** **are.**

 **Derek: Different? Stiles, yesterday you fell out of the Jeep and bashed your face in.**

 **Derek: And last week you insulted the entire BHHS lacrosse team when you said they looked like Abercrombie models instead of athletes.**

 **Stiles: That's an insult?  
Stiles: Because I'm telling you, if they weren't illegal…**

 **Derek: Stop that thought right now.**

 **Stiles: Killjoy.**

 **Derek: You were saying how different we are now?  
Stiles: Shut up.**

 **Derek: Precisely.**

 **lllll**

 **Stiles: O**

 **Stiles: Of all the stupid, hair-brained schemes.**

 **Stiles: And you call me the dumb, impulsive one.**

 **Stiles: WTF, Derek? I mean, WTAF? What in the hell were you** ** _thinking?_**

 **Derek: I was thinking I was trying to keep you from getting your dumb ass killed.**

 **Derek: You get mad that I risk my life.**

 **Derek: But you're the idiot who's going to drive me into an early grave.**

 **Stiles: WHAT? How is this** ** _my_** **fault?**

 **Derek: Because once again, you just jumped into danger.**

 **Derek: That incubus was going to drain you dry.**

 **Derek: If I hadn't intervened, you'd be dead.**

 **Stiles: You're an idiot.**

 **Derek: What? How am** ** _I_** **the idiot?**

 **Stiles: Incubi can't do anything to people who are already in love with someone else.**

 **Stiles: I was always safe.**

 **Derek: Wait.**

 **Derek: You're in love with someone?**

 **Derek: I thought your crush on Lydia was over a long time ago.**

 **Derek: Stiles?  
Derek: … Stiles?**

 **lllll**

 **Stiles: U**

 **Stiles: Until I get an apology, I'm not going anywhere.**

 **Derek: You're going to get hungry sitting out there in the hallway.**

 **Stiles: I'll wait you out.**

 **Stiles: You have to leave sometime.  
Derek: You realize I have windows, right? That I can jump out of?  
Stiles: … I may not have entirely thought this plan through.**

 **Derek: You wouldn't even know if I left.**

 **Stiles: Not true. I can hear you pacing in there. And you type really loudly.**

 **Derek: That's not all I do loudly.**

 **Stiles: Wait.**

 **Stiles: What the fuck.**

 **Stiles: Did you just.**

 **Stiles: Make a joke? Full of** ** _innuendo_** **?**

 **Derek: What can I say, you're rubbing off on me.**

 **Stiles: It physically hurts me to restrain myself from making the obvious joke.**

 **Derek: I'm proud of you.**

 **Derek: I didn't know you had it in you.**

 **Stiles: *biting tongue so hard it bleeds***

 **Derek: At least you won't be hungry.**

 **Stiles: Who are you and what have you done with Derek?**

 **Derek: Come inside and find out.**

 **lllll**

Stiles stared at his phone, nerves spiraling through him and climbing up his throat at the sound of the latch on the loft door unlocking. Stiles lifted his gaze as the door slid open, and when he met Derek's intense, knowing eyes, his knees might have, sort of, wobbled. Just a little.

"You coming? In?" Derek asked, and the slight smirk on his face told Stiles that the pause between words was deliberate. Stiles narrowed his eyes at him.

"You think you're cute," he remarked with a derisive snort as he sauntered into the loft.

Derek slid the door shut and turned back to face Stiles, his smile devastating. "No. I _know_ I'm cute."

Stiles eyed him suspiciously. "Seriously, though. What have you done with the real Derek? The real Derek never flirts. He's never playful. He just snaps and glowers and pouts."

Shrugging, Derek made his way back to the living room, easing down on the couch. "I don't pout."

"You _so_ pout!" Stiles accused. "You pouted for _days_ when the pack liked my plan to rescue Isaac better than they liked yours."

"Because yours was foolhardy and idiotic," Derek grumbled.

Stiles rolled his eyes. "It was _ingenious_ ," he scoffed. "And they all knew it." Plopping down on the couch beside Derek, he shook his head. "Back to the reason why I'm here. You still owe me an apology."

"You'll get an apology when you can keep that sassy mouth of yours shut for longer than two minutes."

"Hey! My mouth isn't-." He broke off, staring speculatively at Derek. "You think my mouth is sassy."

Derek sighed in exasperation. "Obviously."

"You think about my mouth."

"I'm kind of forced to, it never stops moving."

Stiles brightened, scooting closer on the couch. "You think about my mouth."

Softening, Derek's gaze focused on the object in question. "I do."

Grinning, Stiles eased in a little bit further. " _Why_ do you think about my mouth?"

"Because." Derek paused, a hesitant smile starting to curve the edges of his lips. "Because I might love you, too. A little bit."

Stiles gaped at Derek, the joy and terror flooding through him in equal measures. "You love me?" Derek nodded, a little shyly. "You love me-. Wait. You love me _too_? I never told you I love you."

"Trust me, Stiles, you're not that clever," Derek snorted. "Every single time you 'accidentally' sent a single letter text before following it up with something that started with that letter? I took a screenshot of each one once I figured out what you were doing."

He winced. "You didn't."

Derek rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, scrolling through his albums until he came to the screenshots album. Holding the phone up so Stiles could see, he swiped through every photo, starting with the O. Then V. Then E. Then Y, O, U. "I didn't notice with the I and the L. It wasn't until the O when I knew something was up."

"Once is chance, twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern," Stiles commented quietly, and Derek reached out to tip his chin up.

"How many times have we saved each other?" Derek asked, eyes searching Stiles'. "How many times have you been there to pull me back when I was about to go overboard? How many times have I come after you to keep you out of harm's way? It's not a pattern anymore, Stiles."

"It's tradition," Stiles finished, one corner of his mouth lifting. "It's what we do. It's _us_."

Derek was done listening, and Stiles watched, his heart beating madly, as Derek's head descended until their lips were whispering against each other, as soft and faint as the gossamer wings of a butterfly. Stiles made a low noise and then Derek's whole demeanor changed, his arms banding around Stiles and crushing their bodies together, the kiss deepening until Derek's tongue was sliding against the seam of his lips, gently coxing them open, and Stiles welcomed the intrusion.

His hands splayed across Derek's chest, fingers digging into his pectoral muscles through the thin cloth of his shirt, eliciting a growl that rumbled through Derek's chest and up into his throat. When Derek broke away from the kiss, it was only to trail his lips over Stiles' collarbone, nosing his way up his throat and under his chin, brushing those barely-there kisses across his skin.

When Stiles finally pulled back a little, breathing hard from the intensity of the moment, he saw Derek's eyes flash liquid red. "You okay there, big guy?" he asked on a tremulous breath.

Derek studied him, alpha glow fading from his eyes. "Somehow I have a feeling I'm never going to be okay again," he confessed roughly. "You're always going to have me a little off-balance."

Stiles shook his head in disbelief and awe. "I honestly never thought this would happen."

"What do I have to do to prove to you how much I love you?"

Stiles grinned slyly, looping his arms around Derek's neck and pulling him in for another kiss. "I don't know, Der," he murmured against Derek's lips. "Why don't you spell it out for me?"


End file.
